Short answer: Hire a doula, if you can afford it, it is so worth it!…read more Long review: I worked with birth doulas from BBD for both of my births (2024 and 2026). I was extremely nervous about giving birth, and my main goal the first time was just to not have trauma. Thanks to amazing support from our doulas, I discovered not only did I not have trauma, but I also find giving birth such a transformative and positive experience, something I never even considered a possibility for me. I worked with Tamara and Sage for my first birth, a late-term induction and vaginal delivery (both attended), and Tamara and Kim for my second, spontaneous labor and vaginal delivery (Kim attended). A goal in both my births was to wait until transition to get an epidural, and thanks to Sage helping me ride contractions and helping my spouse keep me comfortable I was able to wait as I had hoped. In my second birth, I used techniques I had learned from Sage as well as new ones from Kim to stay so comfortable laboring that I got to the hospital pretty late without realizing how far labor had progressed! I never considered an unmedicated birth a possibility for me, but due to doula support allowing me to stay comfortable I think I would give it a try if I have another baby. Doula support was key to keeping me out of my "fear brain", as in both births, things happened that I didn't understand and they were able to explain them, both on the phone and in person at the hospital. This allowed me to keep calm. We didn't do the birth class due to our schedules, so did 2 prenatal visits instead both times. These were helpful in getting to know the doulas, but also they gave a wealth of recommendations for birth and for postpartum - for instance, Tamara suggested identifying a lactation consultant before birth, which was an amazing suggestion given that I needed lactation support immediately with my first and I would have not lined this up without her suggestion. We really like the 2 doula model, also, which seems pretty unique. We highly recommend BBD!

I had the best experience with Breathe Bitch Doula! Louise and Mahri were incredible. They made me…read morefeel so supported and relaxed throughout my whole journey. They are set up to tag team so one of them is guaranteed to be there for the brith which was so helpful to know that someone would be there no matter what. They helped prep me and we amazing resources throughout my pregnancy, obviously during labor, and even postpartum. I'd text them with all my "my baby is doing this is it normal" questions. I want them there for any future pregnancies and labor!

So much gratitude to this amazing doula duo!!…read more From the first time we met with April and Joy we felt comfortable and confident in our decision to work together. We are from out of town and I came down to San Diego first as my husband had to finish work and it was very reassuring to have April and Joy as part of our birth team in case I went into labor earlier than expected. Throughout my pregnancy all the resources, check ins, and words of encouragement that April and Joy provided were much appreciated. They were also very quick to respond to any questions/concerns that I had. The morning of my delivery my surges came in very quickly. I contacted Joy and April right away and shortly after had a phone conversation with Joy to confirm it was time to head to the hospital. She met my husband and I there and it was such a relief to see and have her support during the most challenging part of my labor. Her calming presence, hands on comfort measures were invaluable and she worked so harmoniously with the hospital staff. The photos she captured of our first moments with our second born are truly priceless. After delivery I had unexpected bleeding and I'm so thankful to have Joy's knowledge on the different types of medications. She helped slowed things down and explained the benefits of them for my case and I felt confident in my decision making. I am incredibly thankful for April's belly binding offering postpartum. The foot bath and belly massage was such a treat and it was a lovely way to wrap up our time together with her. There isn't a single thing I would have changed with my birth experience. April and Joy are a fantastic team, highly highly recommend them!

Working with Joyful Roots was truly one of the best decisions we made, and I can honestly say that…read moreJoy and April are the number one thing I credit for helping me have such a beautiful, positive birth experience. Before giving birth, I was someone who felt really nervous and unsure about the whole experience. But after going through it, I genuinely tell everyone that I loved giving birth, which is something I never thought I would say! That is such a testament to the incredible support and care Joy and April provided throughout my pregnancy, labor, and postpartum experience. My hope going into birth was to labor naturally at home as long as possible and remain open to getting an epidural once I was at the hospital and further along in active labor. They helped me achieve exactly that. While we were laboring at home, April was the one on the phone coaching my husband and me through contractions, helping us feel safe and calm. She offered different suggestions for positions and comfort measures that made such a difference. My husband shared after that he would have been freaking out much more and probably would have pushed going to the hospital earlier if it was not for her guidance. When Joy met us at the hospital, I instantly felt a huge sense of comfort and relief the moment I saw her. She was tremendously helpful supporting me through contractions with her touch through different comfort measures. After I got the epidural, she continued to be so knowledgeable and helped position me in ways that encouraged baby to be in the best possible position for birth. He was more to the side before but she made such a difference in getting him in a great position. What stood out most to me was how deeply seen and understood I felt by her. She was so in tune with my needs, emotions, and what I needed in each moment in a way that felt different from anyone else present in the room at my birth. Her presence was grounding and incredibly reassuring. Even after I gave birth, when I was feeling overwhelmed by all the emotions and hormones, she noticed immediately and supported me so thoughtfully and gently. That care meant so much to me. I know hiring a doula is an investment, but truly, it was one of the greatest gifts I could have given myself, my family, and my birth experience. If you are considering working with Joyful Roots, I cannot recommend Joy and April enough.

My husband and I had an incredible experience working with our night doula, Jacqui. From the very…read morebeginning, she brought such a calming, warm, and reassuring presence into our home and immediately put us at ease as new parents. She is extremely knowledgeable and experienced, and naturally wonderful with newborns. Not only did our daughter thrive under her care, but my husband and I were finally able to get much needed rest and feel more confident as parents. Jacqui also taught us so much along the way and always made us feel supported, never judged. We are so grateful for her help during those early months and truly cannot recommend her highly enough to any family looking for a compassionate and highly skilled doula.

We had a great experience with our doula, Katie. She was incredibly supportive during those first…read morefew weeks with our newborn and helped us so much. She was kind, caring, and always made us feel supported. She truly felt like the big sister I needed during such an important time. The only downside of my experience was the lactation support. I only attended two sessions because, unfortunately, they were very stressful. During the first visit, the lactation consultant arrived late, seemed rushed, and left me with a few nipple shields that ultimately didn't work well for me. At the end, I didn't end up using them because they weren't helpful. The second session felt very similar. It also felt rushed and stressful, and my baby became stressed as well. Because of those experiences, I decided not to continue with the lactation sessions. Overall, I'm very grateful for Katie's support, and she made a huge positive difference during our postpartum journey.

This class was amazing. Emilie is one of the most caring people. She taught me so many necessary…read morethings to prepare for child birth. She is funny and made me feel seen and heard.

I have known Emilie for a couple of years through church. She was an extremely trusted and…read morerecommended birth educator and doula from my friends. I had read the Hynobirthing book before the labor for my first child. I did not connect with techniques, they felt too "heady" and like they were trying to ignore the immense amount of pressure I was feeling in my body during labor. Those methods lasted about 1 hour in my labor, then I was like, "If you ask me to envision another ocean wave I will slap you!" ... Needless to say, I knew going into labor #2 with our next babe I needed to do something different. Emilie taught Bradley Method (I think she is teaching something slightly different now?) at the time (2017). My husband and I decided to attend her class in Kearny Mesa for many weeks (was it 10? 12? It's all blurry now haha!). What I LOOOOOOOVED about Emilie is she is confident in her birth knowledge, so she swayed slightly from the 90's Bradley Method book that desperately needed some updates. AND she also combined some of the more natural techniques that swung closer to hypnobirthing, included some labor videos, and brought in previous clients, midwives, and nurses for questions. She acknowledged the immense amount of pressure/pain during labor, and didn't call it something else. I NEEDED that acknowledgment. YES, labor is SO HARD. And Emilie knows that. Yet she so brilliantly taught us techniques to labor well. I think the best shift for me was the practice of the techniques in and out of her class. She made sure we practiced at least 10 minutes a day. Doing that from week 28 of pregnancy till labor-- I felt equipped. My second labor was AMAZING. I knew how to labor without exhausting myself. I was equipped with a rebozo that felt right for my height- which I only knew because I had so much time to practice with different ones during Emilie's course. I learned how to communicate to my husband without making him feel like a failure. My husband learned how to be hands on when I wanted him to, and how to serve hands off when I needed to be in my head. He learned methods like head squeezing, gentle squeezes on a wet wash cloth consistently running down my back during contractions, how to position himself to hold my full body weight on the rebozo and not hurt his back, he learned how to track my labor progress by sight without asking me any questions of where I was at, and so much more. I highly recommend Emilie's services, in whatever capacity you desire. Doula, birth educator, advice, etc.

Although the name "hypnobirthing" conjures up images of David Bowie from Labyrinth performing a…read morefreaky-mystical birth while looking into a crystal ball, I think a more accurate name might be "focusing your energy through breathing and concentration - birthing". My wife and I first met Julie as our hypnobirthing instructor and felt very comfortable with her and decided that she would be a perfect fit as our doula. We were looking for someone who was familiar with natural child birth but wasn't named "Rainbow" and lived in a VW bus. Julie is that perfect mix of knowledge, experience & assertiveness while still having a calming presence. We had a beautiful 100% natural birth and don't think we could have done it without the support of Julie. She exceeded our exceptations in every way. If you are looking to do the whole natural thing you should definitely give her a call.

This review is way over due but I have a 2 month old now so I am making time to express how amazing…read moreJulie is! Thank God for Yelp/Reviews! After reading all the wonderful reviews on Julie, my husband and I decided to hire her. Being first time parents, we knew we needed support and the moment we met Julie, we fell in love with her! Out of all of the Doulas that I reached out to, Julie was the only one who was very responsive, she makes you feel like you are her only client and this is very difficult to do. Julie met with us several times and explained in detail everything we needed to know, her recommendations, for example taking a birthing class was spot on and it really did help us understand the labor process in phases. Julie is extremely knowledgeable, warm, sincere, genuine and very straight forward. I had a hospital birth and she worked very well with the hospital staff, she always made me feel secure and calm. Unfortunately, I had to be induced at 41 wks & 4 days and during my early to mid labor period, Julie made sure I changed positions so that I could handle the surges better, she did an amazing job at helping me through each surge like the experienced professional that she is. After 13 hours on Pitocin, I decided to get an epidural, I was exhausted and soon after that my baby was not responding well to the surges so I had a c-section. We can't thank Julie enough for the tremendous support and beautiful pictures, we could have not done this without her, we absolutely recommend her! Thank you Julie for an amazing experience! We love you!

Having a doula by your side during the journey of childbirth can be an incredibly supportive…read moreexperience. They provide not just emotional support, but also physical comfort and advocacy, ensuring that your voice is heard during labor and delivery. We were so fortunate to have found Tanesha to guide us through this experience and be our advocate. After interviewing a handful of other doulas, we knew immediately that she was the one for us. The first time she came over to meet in person only solidified our choice to hire her. Not only did we click with her personality immediately, she was incredibly thorough and informative while educating us on what to prepare for pre birth, in the delivery room, and post birth. I know myself and I knew I needed someone that was going to be confident, yet respectful, and that's exactly how Tanesha is. From the moment I started having contractions she was in contact with my husband and when I was ready for the additional support she was there. I was so happy to see her when she showed up at our house that morning. For the first few hours she was having me rotate through different positions, massaged my lower back, talked me through breathing techniques, and provided the emotional support I needed in addition to from my husband. When it was go time, we all left for the hospital and she was with us for the rest of the day. There was a lot of downtime once I got my epidural, but her spunky positive spirit was so great to be around as we waited for our baby girl to arrive. I cannot recommend Tanesha's services enough!! Our birthing experience was incredible all thanks to her!

We were blessed to have a HEALTHY BABY BOY late in August 2021…read more We worked with Tanesha of Divine Design Doula Services and were incredibly happy with the return on our investment. Technically gifted from her past as a classically trained chef, she is really talented at integrating herself into the loving lens of your family outlook and decision making process during an energized if not anxious time. She has very strong boundary setting abilities as it related to her relationship with our family and how we as a 3 person group would project a message forward to the rest of the world especially those involved in our birth process. She is not afraid to speak up for the team. She, my partner and I met as a group on several occasions. Sometimes by zoom. Sometimes in our home. Sometimes at our birth center with the midwives. She really understands team dynamics and never lost sight of the goal of a healthy birth for mom and junior. She lead us to explore some personal reflections that helped clarify our mentality as parents. We even did some "forgiveness in advance" exercises that really focused our family mentality as one team pulling in the same direction. When "game-time" finally arrived (at 1:30 am on a Monday!) she was immediately responsive by text, did some basic over the phone diagnosis of the contraction data I had been compiling and correctly diagnosed that labor was imminent... 14 minutes later she knocked on our door. She was a 3rd (and seemingly 4th!) set of hands once at the brith center. Carrying bags of clothes and protein packs - massaging my partner and even snapping photographs/video at the moment of truth. I didn't even really know what a Doula was 10 months ago. I cannot imagine going through this process without one. Tanesha and Divine Design Doula were great and now feel like family. HIGHLY RECOMMEND especially for 1st time parents. Our Thanks - M & A

I came for a customized 90 minute massage and it was nice and relaxing. Scheduling took a little…read morebit of back and forth (no worries, things come up), but overall it was a much needed session. They have parking spots out front and offer a lot of other services. It was cozy and cute inside the space. Care was attentive and pressure was great, thank you!

Today I received my first ever prenatal massage and it was absolutely incredible…read more I really enjoyed the environment and scenery around me it was extremely relaxing. I've never felt so relaxed during pregnancy like I did when I left here. Amy was absolutely wonderful and sweet. If you are considering a prenatal massage I would highly recommend experiencing it at least once and coming here you'll be happy and relaxed just like I am!

As a dad-to-be, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect going into a hypnobirthing class. If I'm being…read morehonest, I was a little skeptical at first--"hypno" anything sounded a bit out there to me. But I signed up to support my wife, and I'm really glad I did. This class completely changed how I see birth and my role in it. Instead of feeling like a bystander, I walked away feeling informed, useful, and actually confident in how I can support my wife during labor. The techniques we learned--breathing, relaxation, visualization--aren't just for moms. I found myself using them too, and they've already helped us both stay calmer leading up to the big day. What stood out most was how much emphasis was placed on teamwork. I learned specific, practical ways to advocate for my wife, help her stay relaxed, and create a positive environment no matter how the birth unfolds. It made me feel like an active participant instead of just "the guy in the room." The instructor, Care, was very knowledgeable, approachable, and never made any question feel silly. She made the classes very comfortable and even pretty funny at times. The class also struck a great balance between education and hands-on practice, so it didn't feel like we were just sitting through lectures. If you're a partner on the fence about taking a hypnobirthing class--do it. Even if you're skeptical like I was, you'll come away with tools, confidence, and a much deeper understanding of what your partner is going through. Honestly, it's one of the best things we've done together to prepare for becoming parents.

I gave birth a couple months ago, and decided to go through Care's Hypnobirthing class, and also…read moreuse her for my placenta encapsulation, and I can't recommend her highly enough! From the very first class, it was clear that Care is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about empowering expectant parents. Her approach to hypnobirthing and breathing techniques was not only informative but also calming and reassuring for both me and my partner. We completed it feeling much more prepared and confident for the birth experience ahead. Care provided a wealth of resources, ensuring we had everything we needed to make informed decisions about our birthing plan. She was always responsive to our questions, both during the classes and even after the birth, which made a world of difference in our journey. It's rare to find someone who continues to support you even after the classes are over. Overall, the entire experience with Care was amazing. Her warmth, expertise, and dedication to her clients truly set her apart. If you're looking for guidance and support in your birth preparation, look no further than Care Messer at the Birth Education Center!

I could not be happier with my placenta encapsulation. I reached out to Trisha from Zoe Bella after…read moremy birthing doula recommended her placenta encapsulation services. Trisha explained the whole process to me and answered all of my questions. She even offered a print of my placenta before she encapsulated it. We unexpectedly had to stay a few days longer in the hospital while my son received care in the NICU and Trisha graciously offered to get me the capsules to me within 48 hours AND personally delivered them to the hospital herself. I could not have been more thankful because I was experiencing a lot of stress at the time and the capsules helped regulate me. I've been taking the capsules as Trisha described for 6 weeks now and I have not experienced any postpartum blues, no dips in my mood or emotional rollercoasters. I've even experienced a surge of energy similar to having a cup of coffee about an hour after taking them (without the caffeine crash) which has been so helpful in the postpartum days caring for a little one. I would HIGHLY recommend any expecting mama to get her placenta encapsulated and would HIGHLY recommend Trisha at Zoe Bella for this service. You won't regret it!

Trisha is the best! I reached out just two weeks before my baby arrived, and she still managed to…read moreencapsulate my placenta for me. She was incredibly communicative, answered every question I had, and made the whole process feel so easy. I was honestly shocked by how fast she worked--she encapsulated everything and hand-delivered the pills so quickly. When she dropped them off, she even helped me with some breastfeeding questions I had, which meant so much to me as a first-time mom. And the cord artwork that comes with the pills is absolutely beautiful--something I'll treasure forever. This was my first baby, so I don't have another postpartum to compare it to, but I truly believe these pills made a positive difference. I had zero PPD or PPA, my milk supply was super healthy, and overall I had such a smooth postpartum experience. I'll definitely do this again for my next baby. Amazing experience! I recommend Trisha to all mamas--because honestly, when else do you get the chance to eat your own placenta?!

When we found out we were expecting twins, we knew we were going to need overnight support. We…read morespoke to several Doula companies and it was clear that Night Owl was going to be the best. Cati, the owner, was so easy to work with and so caring from the start. We then met our now Doula, Jolene, who immediately felt familiar, like family. We were lucky enough to have Jolene's support for the first few months after brining home our premie babies. Not only was Jolene was so caring and loving to our boys, but also to us and really helped ease my postpartum journey. She is so knowledgeable and we learned so much from her. She helped us shape the boys sleep schedule during the day so that we were set up for success with overnights at the end of her contract. She even helped us around the house so that we could wake up to happy babies and an orderly home each morning. Jolene was an integral part of our lives and we will forever be grateful for our time with her.

Overall we had a good experience - definitely a very well-run operation, coordinating with Cati was…read moreeasy, and I liked our doula. The breastfeeding support was great and I really think that made a difference on my breastfeeding journey. Overall, I was running anxious postpartum and think the time separated from my baby was actually kind of hard on me - but that's not a reflection of Nite Owl Doula, that's on me to figure out. That said, this is a 3-star review because of one specific incident where our doula fell asleep and didn't hear the baby crying (I woke up to find the baby crying, which was distressing to me). I shared this feedback when we finished our work with Nite Owl Doula, and I never heard back - that bothered me. Here is the feedback I left in response to the prompt 'what can we do better' which I never heard back from: 'We had an awkward night where [doula] had fallen asleep and didn't hear the baby crying. I heard the baby and woke up first/got her. Obviously this was upsetting to me because I have no idea how long the baby may have been crying for. [Doula] had mentioned another morning that she had been able to sleep too because the baby was sleeping so well. I felt uncomfortable with this but was feeling shy/uncomfortable about bringing it up. After this incident, I did bring up to [doula] that I'm not comfortable with her sleeping on her shifts. She was certainly apologetic about not hearing the baby first, but said that she and the team are encouraged to sleep when the baby sleeps. I didn't push that, but I do think it's a very important expectation for leadership/the whole organization to set with new moms upfront, because I was surprised by this. '